Revival- An Alternate Ending to Losing Hope
by CassieHU
Summary: Max was meant to die in place of Chloe. However, despite being given the chance to fix what she had broken, she doesn't, instead finding a new happiness, one she thought she'd never find. (Oneshot, Marked Max x OC due to the fact that one character, while mentioned in game, is not in the character chooser thing. Rated M due to themes of depression, and light themes of death.)


**Quick Note: I highly recommend reading Life Is Hard and Losing Hope, up to Chapter 7 at the very least. Otherwise this will make 0 sense.**

There are tears in my eyes when I awaken. Next to me, a white haired girl lays, staring at the ceiling. She doesn't realize I'm awake yet. Or she does, but doesn't care yet. Dana- Time, Fate, as the many names she could be called has given me a choice. Another fucking choice. Either go back and sacrifice myself in place of Chloe, and therefore, Rachel. On the other hand, I can live on, uncertain of my future, uncertain if I just go on to kill myself or not… I want to, but at the same time, what's on the other side? What happens if I go back? Chloe was alone before the week we had together. Would she kill herself before they found Rachel? I didn't want to think about it. Dana said they'd be saved… But… I didn't know.

I was so lost in thought, that I barely registered Dana's voice.

"Max, are you awake?" She sounded sad, almost as if she didn't want to go through with this. I couldn't blame her. I knew all too well the feeling of sadness. I simply nod in response. I can't go through with this, not knowing what happens to Chloe and Rachel. I loved them both, and to know that they could possibly die early anyway because of what I've done here, and right now.

"I can't… Go through with this… I'm too scared. What-"

"Max, don't say anymore. Are you sure you don't want to do this? You only get this chance, and this chance only. This isn't a rewind that lets you fix your problems instantly. You can't do it with this one. Are you sure?"

I only nod in response, and she nods too, sadly. I feel guilty, but she'd be sad either way. I know it.

"Okay, I understand. I wasn't really expecting you to say yes anyway. I'm going to send you to the beginning of the week. You won't have your powers. There is absolutely no way that I can remove them. I can however, make them extremely dormant, so only being on the verge of death will activate them. But, by then it's too late to use them. This is for your own good. You'll remember this week, but obviously you can't tell anyone. Do you understand this, Max?"

I nod again, looking down, a tear dripping from my eye. Dana kindly wipes it away, and I sigh.

"Max, please promise to me that you won't kill yourself. If you want to stay alive, at least live on a little longer for me. Okay?"

I don't even nod to this one. If I promised, I'd break it. And this would probably hurt her a lot. She doesn't respond to this, most likely knowing what I'm thinking.

"I'm about to return you to Monday, the day I arrived at your house. Are you sure you want to live on Max? This is your last chance." She sounds almost like a computer program. It's funny.

"Yes, for the love of God. Stop." It came out a lot more harsh than I intended, and it obviously hurt her, which gave me a pang of guilt. She put her hand over mine, and then there was pitch black.

LINE BREAK

I wake up, laying across my unmade bed. The feeling of loneliness envelops me once more. Dana is gone. She won't come to save me. I look over to the bottle of pills on my bedside. I had intended to take these today, but instead Dana had to fucking appear. Of course, I intended to do this at night. That way I'd be able to die with no interruptions. My phone vibrated. I assumed it was the bitch I was texting before, but a quick glance at the time would prove that this would be when Dana arrived. I already blocked them. Maybe it was my mom… I decided to check. It was an unknown number. I almost ignored it, thinking it was the douchebag using a texting service. But I checked anyway. The message simply read "Everyone deserves another chance at happiness. I'm changing this for you Max. I'm sorry I didn't sooner. Otherwise none of this would have happened."

Obviously, I'm fucking confused at this point. Who else would I give my number? Dana wasn't here in this life. I sigh, and grab my jacket, sliding it on. I didn't want people to see my cuts. It was shameful to know that Rachel and Chloe had both seen them, and could still see them. It wouldn't be better for any human to see them either. I sigh, and open the door, causing the person on the porch to jump. She swore colorfully, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Shit, wh- Wow, Max, you look… Different."

I look different would be the understatement of the year, of course. I sigh. I know this girl, even though she had black hair then, and blonde now. She'd screw me over again, just knowing her.

"Kristen, fuck off." I didn't want anything to due with this girl. She'd just cause more hurt.

"Max… This isn't you. What's wrong, I want to fix it. I know I fucked you over, and I was just coming to apologize… But if anything is wrong Max, I want to fix it. You deserve this." She was so concerned… I could tell. But acting is a thing… Anyone can be actors and actresses if they try hard enough.

"You build hopes up just to break them down again, Kristen. You've done this before, and you'll do it again."

Her eyes drifted to my jacket.

"Max, this is April and you're wearing a fucking bulky ass leather jacket. Let me see your arms at least. I feel like you're hiding something."

"How about you fuck off before I call the police."

"Max, I'm a fucking psychiatry student, for the love of God. I know I've hurt you, I know I've hurt others, I'm trying to make it up to you! Please, I know something's wrong. I can help you. The Max I knew wasn't this sad. The Max I knew wouldn't go out of her way to hide something unless she was ashamed. The Max I knew would be happy, shy, and maybe a little bit fucking weird. She'd take her camera everywhere. I don't even see your camera. Max… Please… What's wrong?"

"...Everything." My voice got softer, and tears started to flow from my eyes. Kristen took my hand, and unrolled one of my sleeves.

"My God… Max how long have you been doing this? I didn't hurt you this badly, did I?" She sounded sad. I look down, of course ashamed. Now my ex (long story) knew I was cutting, and everyone else might as well at this point.

"I brought this upon myself. None of this has to do with you. I've killed people Kristen. I don't deserve to live."

"Max… You haven't actually killed people have you? Who supposedly have you killed?"

"..."

"Are you blaming yourself for the deaths of those girls in Arcadia? The one killed by the Prescott kid and the other one?"

I nod slowly, "You wouldn't understand. You'd think I'm insane… I might as well be now."

"Max, this is obviously clinical depression at the very least. Major at this point. You need help. I'm sure your parents have tried, I'm sure you've tried, but you obviously haven't tried hard enough. Sometimes you need help from others..."

I completely break down, and cry into her chest. She just takes me in her embrace, letting me cry.

"It's okay… It's going to be okay. Somewhere inside, I know you're still there Max. I'm going to fix you. Okay?"

I nod. Kristen releases me from her grip, and she helps me sit down, "I'm going inside real quick. Is there anything you want from your room?"

I shake my head. It's all drugs, alcohol, and sex toys anyway. Nothing special about that. She nods, heading into the house. My phone vibrates, and I check it again. It's from Rachel's number. I never deleted her contact because that was the last thing I had of her. I read the message. It's just three simple words.

"I miss you."

My heart warms a little. Somehow, I know that this is Rachel, from beyond the grave. I don't know how, but she's still here. Three more sentences appear on the screen. They're short, but sweet.

"It'll be okay."

"Stay strong."

And finally,

"I love you."

I smile a little for the first time in months. I got to visit Rachel in the last timeline, but it wasn't the happiest of reunions, considering that she had to leave so soon. These messages left significant impact on the wall I had built up around me though. I decide to send back a message.

"I love you too. I'm sorry I hurt myself." Because truly, I was. I wasn't just sorry. I was ashamed. Kristen helped me finally realize this, and my late girlfriend was starting to revive me… Somehow. A reply boots up on screen.

"It's okay Max. I'll always be with you. See you soon."

I feel a hand squeeze mine, yet no one is there. This is Rachel, I truly know it is. Her presence is gone, almost as quickly as it came. But I know she's there. I put my phone away, and sigh. Kristen returns, and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on. We're going to heal you. I promise you this."

I nod, getting up, and let Kristen lead the way.

 **Fourteen Years Later.**

So much changes in fourteen years. Including the fact that I'm no longer constantly hyped up on drugs. Psychiatric wards aren't really fun. I'm currently laying next to Kristen, her hand intertwined with mine. She released me four years in, but sadly in four years, my parents were killed in an accident, so Kristen let me stay with her. One thing lead to another, and soon we were fucking each other. Again. We are now happily married.

I grab a joint and light it. Kristen is my endless supply of weed at this point. It's my coping method. I'm not completely depression free, but I've certainly improved. The scars on my arms serve as constant reminders of what I once did. These sadden me, and of course are the main reason I can't be depression free. Because I see them from the moment I open my eyes to when I close them.

I don't know why I'm awake right now. There's nothing really that should have woken me anyway. It's 2:30 A.M, Kristen is fast asleep. Soft skin touches mine, and I don't need to look over. It's the touch that I've longed for.

"Rachel..." I breathe her name. I feel the rest of my life fall back in. I'm alive now, and I don't want this feeling to end.

"Max sweetheart, it's time." Somehow I know what she means. Even though I'm not suffering, and am still young, it's time for me to pass on. I nod, looking over to Kristen. She'll be sad to know I'm gone.

"Kristen's a strong woman, but then so were you. She hasn't been weakened like you were. She'll move on, I promise. Strip."

I do so without a second thought. Rachel touches her hand to my arm, the skin smoothing out, scars disappearing. I didn't want to look at these anymore anyway. She moved to the other one, repeating the process.

"Max, I should say I'm sorry. I'm sorry that all of this happened to you, that you had to suffer just because you followed fate. I'm glad you denied her at the end. God knows what would have happened to my beautiful girl otherwise." The two kissed, and Max sighed.

"Do I have to leave? Without saying goodbye? She's done so much for me, an-"

"Settle into the afterlife first. It's not that bad Max. You'll get to say goodbye soon. I promise. She'll find some way to communicate with you. She knows how. Remember the games you played when you were younger? 15? Yeah, those weren't games." She chuckled, kissing me, "Shut your eyes. This will be painless.

I do as told.

I feel nothing.

 **Yo, I worked on this over the course of a few days, really whenever I wasn't breaking my wrist (Giving myself RSI on osu tho), and honestly I just felt like exploring what could have happened if it went differently. I love being depressing too.**


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